Biodiversity strategy

This strategy guides OX2 in how to enhance biodiversity in its renewable energy projects and how to ensure progress towards our target to develop solar and wind farms with net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030.

Biodiversity is a prerequisite to achieve a sustainable development. OX2's biodiversity strategy focuses on three goal areas to ensure that we remediate negative impact that our business can have on nature and enhance biodiversity values.

Follow the mitigation hierarchy

Create awareness, credibility and transparency

Collaborate for knowledge, action and impact

2030 target:

Develop solar and wind farms with a net positive impact on biodiversity

In line with science and international frameworks

Science is clear: climate change and biodiversity loss are two intrinsically linked global crises that must be addressed jointly. A changing climate exacerbates biodiversity loss, as habitats are lost and degraded due to warmer temperatures and its effects, and biodiversity loss intensifies climate change by weakening nature’s ability to absorb and store carbon. This means that to overcome one of these challenges, we must overcome both.

The Paris Agreements and the Kunming-Montreal Agreement provide the framework for how humanity is to overcome climate change and biodiversity loss. OX2’s approach is to act in line with these international agreements and the science in which they are anchored.

The figure to the right visualizes the 23 targets within the global biodiversity framework.

Climate action in line with the Paris Agreement

The average increase of global surface temperature, climate change, is a result of human activities. The drivers of climate change could be described within two categories:

Increasing emissions
Reducing sinks

As defined by the Paris Agreement, the global goal is to limit climate change to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. It stresses the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the need to conserve and enhance sinks.

Enhancing nature in line the Kunming-Montreal Agreement

The loss of diversity of and within living organisms, biodiversity loss, is a result of human use of and interactions with nature. The main drivers of biodiversity loss are:

•Change in land use and sea use
•Direct exploitation of natural resources
•Pollution
•Climate change
•Invasive alien species

As defined by the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, the global ambition is to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 from a 2020 baseline and to restore harmony with nature by 2050.

Follow the mitigation hierarchy

Following the mitigation hierarchy implies working with remediating negative impacts on nature and contributing to enhancing biodiversity values in the area. This means that in addition to avoiding, minimizing, and restoring impacts on nature, we shall also compensate for negative impacts on biodiversity values. To contribute to nature’s recovery, OX2 intends to go beyond the mitigation hierarchy by enhancing nature through biodiversity initiatives.

Set a baseline

Avoid

Select suitable project locations, avoiding biodiversity-sensitive areas and biodiversity values. Consider options in layout, scheduling, technology and phasing to avoid impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Avoidance measures can be geographical, technical and consider timing.

Geographic: by choice of location or by modifying the position of wind turbines, solar panels or roads

Timing: adjust the schedule of the construction plan to avoid particular periods of the year like nesting

Technical: clustering solar arrays into blocks, employing adequate buffer zones between them, and fencing each block individually to avoid impacting sensitive areas along migratory corridors

Minimize

Minimization is the process leading to reduce the duration, severity, and extent of impacts on the biodiversity values. Therefore, the team project will consider alternatives in the project location, scheduling, layout, technology and phasing (as in avoidance) to minimize impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Minimization measures are defined, if possible, among all the project life : development, construction, operation, and decommissioning.

Minimization measures could be applying appropriate avoidance zones around sensitive areas, modify security fencing to minimize barrier effects, and locating construction facilities away from sensitive areas.

Restore

Despite avoidance and mitigation measures, some impacts cannot be avoided, resulting in environmental damage at the project site. Restoration measures are then implemented to remedy the damage.

Restoration measures include:

Revegetation of temporary-use and lay down areas
Separately retaining and storing topsoil and sub-soil stripped from the construction areas for later use during reinstatement
Using indigenous and non-invasive species for landscaping and rehabilitation works
Using soil, mulch and vegetation debris (that contain natural seed stock) to facilitate natural revegetation of disturbed areas, where reasonably practicable

Compensate

When negative impacts have been avoided, minimized and restored, the residual impacts remain. Residual impacts are addressed by considering how lost or weakened biodiversity values can be compensated in the ecosystem, within or in the proximity of the project site.

Compensation measures include

Revegetation
Improving quality of degraded habitats
Avoided further biodiversity loss via a protection agreement

Enhance

Beyond the mitigation practices of a project, there are often opportunities to deliver other benefits to nature close to our projects. We call these nature enhancing measures, and they shall not be related to the environmental impacts of the project itself. Nature enhancing measures can create the positive effects on biodiversity that are necessary to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity.

When implementing nature-enhancing measures, consider:

The characteristics of the area
Participating in research
Engaging with local stakeholders such as associations, communities, and authorities
Synergies with other sustainability areas, such as climate change adaptation and local businesses

Create awareness, credibility and transparency

We strive to raise awareness of biodiversity within the company and among our stakeholders. This is essential for implementing our strategy and contributing to broader societal change.

On a project level, the focus lies on the impacts, which includes both the impact our projects have on nature and the effects of our biodiversity initiatives. On a corporate level, the focus lies on action and progress toward our target.

Awareness

Reporting

We seek to disclose our work in accordance with the latest frameworks, standards and principles.

Our biodiversity reporting follows the European Sustainability Reporting Standard on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ESRS E4).

Our work with nature-relates risks and opportunities follows the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). OX2 is an inaugural TNFD early adopter, meaning that we seek to implement the TNFD recomendations in our external reporting.

Our biodiversity strategy follows Science Based Targets for Nature's AR3T framework (Avoid, Reduce, Restore, Regenerate and Transform) and Business for Nature's ACT-D framework (Assess, Commit, Transform and Disclose).

Storytelling

Measurability

Collaborate for knowledge, action and impact

Reversing biodiversity loss and restoring nature is bigger than us and our business. Partnerships enable us to achieve more together than we can separately.

Collaborating with others is key to accelerating action and impact. It involves both identifying initiatives that can be scaled and achieving synergies. On a market or regional level we focus on collaborations that benefit multiple projects within that area, addressing local nature and biodiversity challenges. On a project level we focus on how to safeguard, enhance, and revive biodiversity values locally and how the ecosystem services associated with these values benefit the local community. Biodiversity is site-specific, which is why local knowledge is essential for the success of biodiversity activities.

Academia and research

The more we know about nature and the interaction between renewable energy and biodiversity, the better we can integrate it into our projects. We encourage and, where possible, contribute to research – but not at the expense of action. When suitable, we will share data from investigations and studies for research.

Examples of partnerships with academia and researchers:

MistraBIOPATH (2022-2026) is a research program exploring how to integrate biodiversity into financial decision making. OX2 is one of 5 industry partnerr representing the energy sector.
Windlife (2022-2027) is a research program looking exploring the occurrence and habitat use of terrestrial wildlife in the vicinity of wind farms in Finland. OX2 is one of 14 wind power companies participating in the research, conducted by the Natural Resource Institute Finland.
SMHI examines how hydrogen produduction at offshore wind farms can oxygenate the Baltic Sea.
Kwietna Foundation explores soil management methods to enhance both biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

Industry

Collaborating with industrial actors entails exploring synergies, where both businesses benefit from joining forces, and to share risks and costs associated with the projects.

Examples of partnerships with industrial actors:

Exploring and testing food production at sea in connection with offshore wind in OX2's Galene project and on Björkskär.
Joining forces with fishing organizations to promote habitats in OX2's Klevberget project and Niinimäki project.
Designing, creating and placing artificial reefs together with actors from the construction and fishing industries.
Working together with our customers and landowners to enhance natural values in OX2's Karskruv project.

Forums

Sustainability case studies

Through case studies we describe how concrete actions contribute to biodiversity on a larger scale. Examples:

Wetland restoration

Restoring Alderängsån and re-introducing the freshwater pearl mussel.

Restoring pastures

Creating biodiversity values by recreating pastures.

Pilot project

Testing different kinds of seeds and wooden structures to strengthen the area’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity.

Target: Develop solar and wind farms with a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030

OX2 aims to develop solar and wind farms with a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030, contributing to a nature positive future. This means that nature is in a better condition with our projects than without.

The global ambition is to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, with 2020 as a reference, and achieve full recovery by 2050. Our target, to develop solar and wind farms with a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030, is our way of contributing to the joint global vision of living in harmony with nature.

When projects within scope are commissioned, methods are used to determine whether the project has residual impacts, has achieved no net loss, or has a net positive impact on biodiversity. The target is for all solar and wind farms to deliver a net positive impact on biodiversity. Metrics used—regardless of the methodology applied—serve as proxies for biodiversity and indicate progress toward the target.

Scope

The scope of our target is based on a materiality assessment, where the significance of impacts associated with solar and wind farms are assessed, as well as how we can influence the impact.

Geographical: All markets where OX2 operates
Product: Projects rights or turnkey solar and wind farms
Standardization: Externally developed methodology is required
Spatial: Within and in the proximity to our physical project sites
Causality: We only account for the impacts attributable to the solar or wind farms
Temporal: The baseline represents the project area before the project and result is determined when OX2 sells or commissions the project
Monitoring: Respective projects’ monitoring plan defines monitoring activities, but there is no guarantee of desired and anticipated effects
Verification: External verification is encouraged but not required
Funding: Target achievement must not depend on external funding
Control: Projects where OX2 is the developer, holds the control, and has full ownership

Timeline and milestones

OX2’s journey towards achieving its target is characterized by collaboration, responsibility, and exploration. Target milestones support progress monitoring and resource allocation. These milestones are based on the time required to develop a project.

2021 OX2 sets target

2024 Monitoring progress in line with European Sustainability Reporting Standards

2028 All late development phase solar and wind projects have a plan and allocated resources to ensure target achievement

2030 Target year

Applying the mitigation hierarchy

To meet our target to develop solar and wind farms with a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030, the damage must be quantified and the mitigation hierarchy steps must be proportionally applied. Following the mitigation hierarchy may imply identifying and implementing additional biodiversity measures beyond what is required of OX2 as defined by environmental permit, land/sea agreement and legislation.

Download the full OX2 Biodiversity Strategy (PDF)